Network devices (such as routers and switches) are often used to forward traffic within a network and/or across networks. These network devices may be available to users in many forms. For example, routers may be offered as physical devices and/or virtual solutions. In the physical form, a router may include a memory device whose memory capacity remains fixed and/or invariable due to the physical nature of the device itself. In the virtual form, a router may be provisioned a memory allocation of an underlying physical host device. While the size of the virtual router's memory allocation is not necessarily limited by physics, the logistics of providing such a traditional virtual router to users may influence and/or force offerings or sales at fixed and/or rigid memory increments.
As an example, a line of physical and virtual routers may include and/or provide a minimum of 3.5 gigabytes of fixed memory. In one example, a user who purchases a physical or virtual router from this line may be forced to purchase 3.5 gigabytes of memory even in the event that the user needs only a small portion of that memory. Similarly, a user who needs slightly more than 3.5 gigabytes of memory may be forced to purchase two physical or virtual routers to meet its needs. From an efficiency- and/or cost-effectiveness standpoint, neither of these options is ideal or optimal for the user.
The instant disclosure, therefore, identifies and addresses a need for additional and improved apparatuses, systems, and methods for dynamically scaling memory for virtual routers.